The present invention relates to composting animal manure. More particularly it relates to a method of composting agricultural animal manure for reducing the foul odors and flies generated by such activity.
Chickens, hogs and other domestic animals sold commercially are raised on large farms. Such large concentration of animals naturally produce large amounts of manure. The manure in turn generates foul odors and provides an ideal breeding ground for various insects and pests. The manure aside from its negative aspects, when properly processed, provides an excellent fertilizer for crop production. Numerous attempts have been made to limit the negative aspects of animal manure, enhance its positive aspects and make it easier to handle. Currently, in particular with dairy and beef operations the practice has generally been to liquefy the manure for ease of processing and handling. However, this in some respects enhances many of the negative aspects of manure.
The trend now appears to be to use methods which reduce the negative aspects of manure produced on large farms namely the odors and insect infestations. This trend has been enhanced by increased environmental awareness and a growing intolerance of the general public of the odors and insects generated in such large operations.
The common practice with chickens and the trend with other domestic animals is to raise these animals in large barns. Generally, the barns have two stories with the animals housed on the second floor and the manure produced by the animals collected on the first floor for processing. Such a large concentration of fresh manure naturally generates foul odors and provides a fertile base for insects, in particular, flies and beetles to bred.
One solution with respect to solving the fly infestation problem is the use of natural predators, i.e. other insects, wasps or beetles, which prey on the fly larva or other undesirable insects found that breed in manure. Although this can provide an effective solution it also is extremely expensive and can create its own problems of infestations of the predator insects. Additionally, there is a trend towards dry composting as one way to attempt to eliminate or reduce the odors and insect infestations. Some of these dry composting techniques have included the addition of paper or wood chips to absorb moisture. However, the paper has a tendency to become soggy and neither the paper nor the wood chips have a tendency to breakdown in a sufficiently quick enough period of time to aid significantly in the composting process. Additionally, none of these dry composting techniques have significantly reduced the foul odors or insect infestations while at the same providing an economical and efficient method.
Consequently, as of yet no one has come up with an effective, economical and easily implemented process or mechanism for disposing of animal manure and in particular chicken manure which can also significantly reduce foul odors and insects which breed in the manure.
It is the object of the invention to provide efficient and effective method of dealing with manure and the foul odors and insects breeding therein. In particular, to provide a method which is easily intergradeable into a large farming operation.
It is the further object of the present invention to provide a method which substantially reduces the foul odors generated by chicken manure.
It is another object to the present invention to significantly reduce the insects breeding in chicken manure.
These and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing a method for composting manure which includes the steps of:
a. collecting the animal manure together produced by the animals in a large farm operation,
b. piling the manure in a configuration which is sufficiently wide and deep enough so that the natural composting process generates heat of at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit,
c. periodically turning the pile over so that a substantial portion of the manure on the outside of the pile is turned into the inside of the newly formed pile while at the same time maintaining the natural composting effect and adding a moisture absorbent substance to the pile on an intermittent basis to absorb moisture and enhance the composting effect, whereby the heat generated in the pile and its periodic turning of the pile and the adding of the moisture absorbing substance disrupts the life cycle of insects attempting to breed in the pile.
Another aspect of the method of the invention includes forming piles that are at least 12 inches deep, 2.5 feet wide and at least 2.5 feet long.
In yet another aspect of the method of the present invention the step of turning the pile consists of turning it on a daily basis.